No forums on here and not really a question (would love a space to do this outside of projects), so this felt like the only place to share it, but there are few things more stressful than a fridge dying on Christmas Eve.
Ours picked the absolute worst timing. Food prepped, groceries bought, Christmas Day planned, and suddenly the fridge gave up. While my wife understandably went straight into panic mode, I remembered something still boxed up in our home gym. I pulled out her Christmas present, the Ryobi 18V ONE+ 23L Fridge Freezer. We already run heaps of Ryobi gear, so we had batteries ready to go, but what really saved us was the fact it also plugs straight into 240V power. Within about 30 minutes it was properly cold and we were transferring everything across.
For a compact unit, the capacity is excellent. The 23L compartment easily handled everything we needed. The temperature range goes from minus 20 degrees through to 20 degrees, so it is genuinely capable of freezing or chilling depending on what you need. We set it cold and it held temperature perfectly.
What was meant to be a camping and road trip fridge quite literally saved our Christmas. No food wasted, no emergency runs, no stress spiral. Sometimes the most practical gifts turn out to be the best ones, and I will never underestimate the value of a backup fridge again. Cheers to my local Bunnings, and Ryobi for the Christmas Eve save!
